Afrika Kontakt’s generalforsamling vidner om ”styrket” organisation

”Afrika Kontakt er gået styrket ud af det forgangne år”, sagde Afrika Kontakts afgående forkvinde, Signe Borker Bjerre, i sin politiske beretning til generalforsamlingen. Et stærkt Afrika Kontakt er vigtigt, tilføjede hun, på grund af effekterne af den økonomiske krise i vores projektlande, samt at det civile råderum bliver stadigt forringet.

Signe Borker Bjerre fremhævede dannelsen af to nye arbejdsgrupper – Somalia-gruppen og Mozambique-gruppen, de mange nye aktive medlemmer, det succesfulde partnerskabsseminar i april, nyansættelsen af flere nye sekretariatsmedarbejdere, og den inklusive debat blandt medlemmer og partnere om Afrika Kontakts nye Plan of Action og Strategi, som vigtige årsager til denne styrkelse af foreningen.

ANC calls for the release of political prisoners in Swaziland

In a statement from Chairperson of the African National Congress NEC Sub-Committee on International Relations Obed Bapela on May 7, the ANC called for the release of all political prisoners in Swaziland.

“The democratization of Swaziland must preoccupy the work of the African National Congress and all progressive forces as we call for the release of political prisoners, return of exiles and free political activities in that country.”

The ANC has previously called for the unbanning of political parties of Swaziland without any apparent success. In October 2012, ANC Chairperson  Baleka Mbete said that “we need to make sure Swaziland is liberated including the unbanning of political parties,” and in June 2012 President Zuma’s foreign policy advisor Lindiwe Zulu said that South Africa must press Swaziland to unban political parties.

Africa Contact congratulates Polisario on 40th Anniversary

The responsibility for the failure to resolve the Western Sahara conflict “lies with the individual members of the UN,” Danish solidarity organisation Africa Contact wrote in a letter congratulating Polisario on its 40th Anniversary.

But it also lies with “all the countries – including Denmark – who either refuse to actively recognise or support Polisario and a referendum on the status of Western Sahara or who are part of sabotaging the process by e.g. allowing their companies to take part in the plundering of the resources of Western Sahara.”

“Incompetent” and “catastrophic” Swazi regime ignores Swazi people

“The results of Mswati’s absolute rule for the Swazi people have been catastrophic,” independent watchdog organisation Freedom House writes in the excecutive summary of their new report on Swaziland, Africa’s last refuge of feudalism.

“This desperate economic and social situation is the product of 40 years of incompetent government during which two despots have used Swaziland for their personal purposes while ignoring the needs of the Swazi people and their legitimate rights to have a say over how they are governed and how the country’s resources are used.”

Dansk udviklingsbistand beslaglagt i Swaziland

Myndighederne i Swaziland har spærret projektkontoen hos Swaziland National Ex-Mineworkers Association (SNEMA), efter at organisationens ledelse var blevet afhørt af politiet i tre timer forleden. ”Vi ser dette som et angreb imod vores organisation, og på demokratibevægelsen i Swaziland som helhed”, skriver SNEMA i en pressemeddelelse.

SNEMA er projektpartner med den danske solidaritetsorganisation, Afrika Kontakt, og på SNEMAs konto er der projektpenge fra det danske udenrigsministerium / CISUs projektpulje.

Afrika Kontakt har henvendt sig til den danske ambassade i Pretoria (der også dækker Swaziland). ”Vi ønsker at ambassaden handler på sagen og tager kontakt til myndighederne i Swaziland hurtigst muligt.

Africa Contact partnership seminar 2013: Civic Education

One of the important themes that were debated at Africa Contact’s partnership seminar, held in Johannesburg in April 2013, was Civic Education.

Civic Education is one of the cornerstones of the fight for democracy in many Southern African countries, especially in the rural areas where rights-based consciousness is often lacking. The civic educators – who are often recruited to teach in their own communities – are harassed by local chiefs and meetings are prone to police surveillance, not least because educators link the rights of those they educate with democratization and poverty eradication.

1. maj arrangement stoppet af Swazilands politi

Det er langt fra alle lande, hvor utilfredse borgere kan tillade sig at buhe landets statsminister, og andre ledende medlemmer af regeringspartierne, af scenen 1. maj.

I Swaziland må man ikke engang fejre 1. maj. Landets regime stoppede tidligere i dag  fagbevægelsen fra at afholde 1. maj, ved systematisk at sætte lederne af landets politiske partier og fagbevægelsen under husarrest, samt arrestere mange andre almindelige mennesker. Da præsidenten for landets største politiske parti, Mario Masuku fra PUDEMO, og præsidenten og generalsekretæren for landets fagbevægelse, TUCOSWA, forsøgte at deltage i et 1. maj arrangement, blev de således alle arresteret.

Den 1. maj 2010 blev et ungt PUDEMO-medlem, Sipho Jele arresteret for at bære en t-shirt